Kiveton Park: Widow flew to Spain using late husband’s passport

Picture shows Pauline Briggs, 64 from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Pauline went through three passport checks accidently using her deceased husbands passport to go on holiday with her family to Fuerteventura. See Ross Parry copy RPYPASSPORT : A widow who was going on a family holiday managed to get to her destination - going through two passport checkpoints and security - on her dead husband's passport. Blonde Pauline Briggs went through two checks at East Midlands Airport as she was jetting off to Fuerteventura showing the picture of her husband, Paul - with his dark close hair cut and masculine features. Pauline, 64, was horrified when she arrived with her granddaughter, grandson-in-law and their two children, when the officer at passport control looked at all five passports and then asked: "Where is Mr Briggs?" The grandmother-of-10 said: "The question really threw me, I said 'I'm Pauline Briggs' but he said 'But where is Mr Briggs?' and I said 'well... he's dead.'''rossparry.co.uk / Steven Schofield

Published:15:00Updated:16:54Monday 23 June 2014

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A Kiveton Park widow got through two British passport checkpoints and flew all the way to Spain on a family holiday - using her late husband’s passport.

Pauline Briggs, 64, arrived in Fuerteventura with her granddaughter, grandson-in-law and their two children after she went through one passport check when got to the airport and a second as she boarded the plane.

The grandmother of ten was left beweildered as a passport control officer queried where Mr Briggs was.

She said: “It really threw me. I said to him, ‘I’m Pauline Briggs’, but he said, ‘But where is Mr Briggs?’ and I said, ‘Well... he’s dead’.

“He then showed us the passport and the mistake was realised.”

At first it looked like Pauline would have to jet back to Rotherham but security on the Canary Island allowed her and her family through the gates - handing Pauline a holiday lifeline as she was left to arrange for a temporary passport.

She said: “I know it was my mistake to pick up the wrong passport, but I am appalled at the lack of security.”

“I am an innocent holidaymaker – but what if I had sinister motives? It’s not very reassuring.”